NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Whether or not this becomes a milestone game in the professional career of Jacob Cooper Locker remains to be seen. But for two brilliant minutes on Sunday afternoon, the Titans' third-year quarterback put himself in the category of the unflappable NFL quarterbacks with Freon in their veins as he guided Tennessee to a 20-17 win over San Diego.

Inside the Titans' huddle, where leadership is demonstrated among select company, Locker was "telling us to keep fishing, that it was going to happen, and it did," said running back Chris Johnson.

What did happen was a 10-play, 94-yard drive that was punctuated by Jake Locker's 34-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining to Justin Hunter, the rookie from Tennessee who had yet to catch a pass this season.

"Not bad for (Hunter's) first catch to be a game-winner," said Titans coach Mike Munchak.

"There was just this feeling that we had enough time to go down and make something happen, and that's what we believed in," Locker said.

Locker was 23-for-37 for 299 yards and rushed five times for 68 yards as the Titans improved to 2-1. Philip Rivers, his San Diego counterpart and former Athens High quarterback, was 20-for-24 for 184 yards, connecting with Antonio Gates on a TD pass. Ex-Auburn tailback Ronnie Brown scored the Chargers' other touchdown.

"A much-needed win," said the Titans' Nate Washington, whose club ended a nine-game losing streak to San Diego.

The Chargers owned a 10-7 lead before Locker engineered a 76-yard drive late in the first half, finishing it with a 7-yard touchdown run. But the Titans could only manage to answer Brown's third-quarter touchdown with a field goal and the Chargers had possession and time on their side late in the fourth. They chose to keep the ball on the ground and devour time, but a holding call left them in a third-and-9 they couldn't convert. They punted the ball away, pinning the Titans on their 6 with 2:05 remaining.

Locker hit five consecutive short passes to move the ball into San Diego territory before misfiring on a long attempt. Said rookie tackle Chance Warmack of the huddle, "Everybody was calm and composed." Added Locker, "There was a calm feeling."

Locker hit Washington for 11, spiked the ball to kill the clock and misfired deep to Delanie Walker before finding Hunter one-on-one with cornerback Crezdon Butler. Said Hunter in such a scenario, "I lick my chops and hope the ball is coming my way."

It did and he outleapt Butler in the right part of the end zone.

"We drafted him because he's a long, fast receiver that can jump and plays above the rim," Locker said. "I think he's a mismatch against any corner in the league when you throw that jump ball and it's one-on-one."

"I can't accept it," said the Chargers' Le'Ron McClain, the former Alabama fullback. "I felt like we were the better team today and it just came down to one play and they made it."

"You have to play 60 minutes and this was a great example of that," Gates said.

"Nobody ever gave up on this game," Washington said.

There was, and will be, much conjecture on this being some sort of breakthrough for Locker, who has had his growing pains with the Titans.

"That was a huge game for him and for this football team," Munchak said.

As for it being some "defining moment," Munchak acknowledged, "I hope it leads to a lot of great things, obviously. I think it just gives our whole team confidence when you can take the ball 94 yards with no timeouts and 1:15, and the defense getting a stop at four minutes and getting us the ball back. That's the stuff at times last year we didn't get done."

That's the stuff great quarterbacks do. So, great moment or beginning of greatness for Locker? He'll keep fishing for the answer.